Google Search All-New Dynamic Topic and Its Impact on SEO

A day after Google announced its continuous scrolling feature on Desktop, the search giant is now rolling out an all-new Topic filter for mobile.

Currently, search has filters that categorize results between videos, images, shopping, news, etc. With this new filter, users can further refine their search results based on relevant topics related to their queries.

“When users conduct a search, our systems automatically display relevant topics based on what we understand about how people search and from analyzing content across the web. Both topics and filters are shown in the order that our systems automatically determine is most helpful for the specific query. If you don’t see a particular filter you want, you can find more using the ‘All filters’ option, which is available at the end of the row.” Google said in a blog post.

For instance, if a user searches for Pixel-7, they might view topics such as reviews, features, details, etc. Upon tapping each filter, the results feed quickly updates without the need to type out long queries on the fly.

The topics Google displays are dynamic and may change as users keep tapping. Users can add or remove topics, which are designated by a + symbol, allowing more flexibility to drill down to specific topics, explore new areas, backtrack on a search, and more.

These topic filters are rolling out over the coming days for English users in the US on the Google app for Android and iOS, as well as mobile Search.

Google’s quality of search results is now a hotly debated issue. As users are turning to unconventional alternatives like TikTok to find the information they need, this new feature can help people find more relevant content with ease.

For marketers, this new feature can be of great value to ramp up their SEO efforts with respect to targeting long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are more specific search queries that typically generate low-search volume than their “head” counterparts.

But with this change, long-tail keywords may now become more sought after, leading to greater competition. As users now have the flexibility to drill down their results to specific topics, long-tail keywords will become more valuable.

Therefore, it’s time for marketers and SEO analysts to keep a tab on the performance of long-tail keywords. Going forward, we may see these new topic filters having an impact in the following areas:

1. SERPs – Search filters can lead to more or less traffic to the website depending on how these queries lead to specific pages. Thus, marketers should track their top-performing keywords and assess if dynamic topic filters have rolled out for these queries.

2. Keyword Planning – SEO analysts should focus more on intent-driven long-tail keywords and evaluate how they can use topic filters to sharpen their long-tail target keywords. It’s also time to monitor the search volume of these keywords and see if any significant change or new competition is creeping up.

3. On-Page Content – Marketers should ensure that pages targeting long-tail keywords are fresh and up-to-date so that users landing on these pages through topic filters find them relevant. In addition, the keywords should align with user intent.

4. Analytics and Search Performance – Finally, marketers should watch out for changes in impressions, clicks, and ranking for pages targeting long-tail queries.

Along with Google’s helpful content algorithmic update that is set to roll out thru Dec 2022, all these new changes are aimed at making search feel more authentic and useful. Google is moving beyond search engine-first content to people-first content and so should marketers.